Review Source: Book Dragon Book Author: As spare as this title might seem, it actually embodies three important sections. The main focus is clearly the story of young Mali, which begins with her carefree life in her native Laos filled with everyday reminders “that the world was big – ngai – and full of wonderful things.” Writer/artist Youme paints Mali’s joy climbing flowering trees, […]
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems
Review by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Memories from the author’s own childhood experiences—as well as those of his son, his friends, and the young men he worked with as a middle-school teacher—inform this too-slim book of poetry from the perspective of a 12-year-old Chicano border […]
Which Side Are You On?
Reviewed by Chris Eboch Review Source: New York Journal of Books Book Author: Which Side Are You On? tells a slice of labor union history. In 1931 miners in Harlan County, Kentucky, went on strike for better pay, safer working conditions, and better healthcare. The company retaliated by hiring thugs to attack organizers like miner Sam Reese. […]
The Smell of Old Lady Perfume
Reviewed by Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Martínez’s debut young adult novel captures the turmoil of a family’s losing its center, and at the same time emphasizes the importance of staying in school. Chela’s parents are immigrants and her father makes clear that his options […]
All Around Us
Reviewed by: Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: In this warm, gentle story that celebrates family, culture, community and the connectedness of all things, a young girl and her grandfather work side by side in their vegetable garden, hang out in their backyard, walk around their […]
Pig Park
Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: DeColores Book Author: Martínez’s Pig Park is a contemporary novel that depicts with affection and a light touch a bustling, though little-known, neighborhood in Chicago and an unholy alliance between business interests and politicians. Ever since the American Lard Company closed in 15-year-old Masi Burciaga’s Pig Park neighborhood of Chicago, […]
